Maya Seaman

Maya Seaman

Maya Seaman is a SoCal-born writer who traded palm trees for pines when she moved to Portland in 2010. Read More

stairs leading to underground Portland stairs leading to underground Portland
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Descend beneath the streets of Old Town Chinatown to learn the lore of the Shanghai Tunnels.
Credit: Bex Walton via Flickr

Portland’s Shanghai Tunnels

Explore the city’s infamous catacombs and draw your own conclusions.

3 min read Old Town Chinatown
Maya Seaman

Maya Seaman

Maya Seaman is a SoCal-born writer who traded palm trees for pines when she moved to Portland in 2010. Read More

In the late 1850s, when Portland’s bars stretched entire city blocks and the waterfront was a bustling hub for international maritime trade, a lonely logger might get more than he bargained for at his local tavern — like a one-way trip to Asia.

Called “shanghaiing” or “crimping,” the practice of kidnapping men and selling them as slaves to ship captains in need of crew was common during Portland’s industrial heyday.

The Legend of the Shanghai Tunnels

Beneath Old Town Chinatown (Portland’s original downtown) in the so-called Shanghai Tunnels, truth starts to mingle with myth. Local lore has it that a labyrinth of interconnected basements, makeshift rooms and low-ceilinged tunnels ran all the way to the waterfront, making it easy to sneak illegal goods (including shanghaied victims) between shore and ship. Some say the tunnels were also used as secret passageways to underground brothels, opium dens and gambling houses, or as temporary prisons for kidnapped men and women.

It’s the stuff of terrifying legend, filled with stories of forced prostitution, murder, ruined lives and an underground catacomb that facilitated it all. How much of the tales are true is hotly debated, since many of the tunnels are currently inaccessible or collapsed, and little to no archaeological evidence exists to support these stories (except for what tours present as “real artifacts,” which could have been easily purchased at thrift shops). You can decide for yourself by delving into the rich oral history of Portland’s shady underbelly on a Sincity Portland walking tour.

Questions About the Shanghai Tunnels

Where does the term being Shanghaied come from?

Historically, “Shanghaiing” was known as the practice of kidnapping men to serve as sailors against their will, most en route to China. Many believe that the tunnels were used as such, though there is no hard proof.

When were the Shanghai Tunnels used?

The Shanghai Tunnels were used from the mid-19th century through to the early 1940s. The tunnels allowed for easy transportation of goods (and according to local legends, people) to and from the river to businesses in downtown Portland, allowing the avoidance of streetcars, traffic and mud.

Are the Shanghai Tunnels still used?

Today the Shanghai Tunnels are used mainly as a tourist attraction for people to explore. Some of the trapdoors, where people were supposedly dropped through, are still functional in Old Town Chinatown bars. The tunnels aren’t places to be explored alone, however, as many have collapsed over the years and are unsafe or lead to nowhere.

How much of the tales are true is hotly debated, since many of the tunnels are currently inaccessible or collapsed.

Know Before You Go

Due to a restaurant closure in October of 2020, the Shanghai Tunnels are no longer accessible. Tour companies are currently determining future accessibility options. For more information, and to check for future underground tours keep an eye on Portland Walking Tours.

Shanghai Tunnel Walking Tour

The Cascade Geographic Society is run by self-proclaimed tunnel historian Michael P. Jones, whose unsubstantiated claims of new-found evidence of the tunnels’ bawdy history has raised many a skeptical eyebrow among local historians and scholars. Each tour begins with an above-ground stroll and history lesson of the area before descending into the dust below street level, where your guide will spin yarns of bawdy, criminal activity.

Grab a Post-Tour Bite

  • Kasbah Moroccan Cafe

    Kasbah Moroccan Cafe is a friendly, authentic Moroccan restaurant in Northwest Portland. They serve traditional North African dishes like kefta tagine, Merguez lamb sausage sandwiches and freshly-baked batbot bread and pastries.

  • Bamboo Sushi – Southwest

    Bamboo Sushi was the world’s first certified sustainable sushi restaurant, and they collaborate with multiple organizations to uphold this standard. Guests can enjoy fresh food and conscious hospitality at one of several Portland locations.

  • Deschutes Brewery & Public House

    This pub’s distinct Northwest style brings a taste of Central Oregon to the heart of Portland, and its 18 taps feature Deschutes Brewery staples and seasonal favorites, as well as a selection of experimental beers developed and brewed on-site.

  • Fuller’s Coffee Shop

    Since 1947, this renowned diner has been serving up breakfast, lunch and bottomless cups of coffee at reasonable prices.

  • Jake’s Famous Crawfish

    Considered one of the top seafood restaurants in the nation, Jake’s Famous Crawfish has been a downtown Portland landmark since 1892.

Despite tales of tunnels that stretch for miles, the tour doesn’t extend much farther than the musty, brick-laden basements beneath their starting points. Short passageways propped up by cracking wood planks come to an abrupt stop, but through a couple of iron-barred portholes, you can see long stretches of cobwebbed paths extending into the darkness beneath the city. From there, your imagination takes over, and it’s not hard to envision illegal gambling dens, criminals dropping through a hidden trapdoor to dodge the law, or any number of illicit deeds.

True or not, touring the tunnels always makes for a great story. And no matter what you conclude, you can quench your thirst post-tour or grab a slice at Old Town Pizza & Brewing, where you might take a seat next to resident ghost “Nina” — but that’s another story.

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